Overview

• The Science study draws on DNA from 395 skeletons to map maternal lineages that sustained household ties across generations.
• Female burials contained five times more grave goods than male sites, reflecting women’s elevated social and ritual standing.
• Genetic evidence reveals daughters stayed in birth homes while men typically married into maternal households.
• Discovery of abundant female figurines supports long-held hypotheses of a “Mother Goddess” veneration.
• Results challenge assumptions of early patriarchal societies by documenting kinship shifts over Çatalhöyük’s 1,200-year history.